The “Way Home” Social Enterprise

One of the most important aspects of the social adaptation of the children and youth in crisis situations – is their labor education, teamwork, the skill to self-sustain and make one’s earning. To serve this purpose, Odessa charity foundation “Way Home «starts to use one of the most innovative and complex approaches – to include the children of the Fund to the activities of its own social enterprise.

The “Way Home” social enterprise is a production and trade complex. The productions side consists of a county side production base, the office of producing eco-food, and a vegetarian café with the shop. The agricultural base is located in Libental, the settlement 20 km from Odessa. The center consists of the house and working houses, as well as the farming land with drip irrigation and a greenhouse, where fruits and vegetables grow. The project of the greenhouse has underground ventilation for the optimal climate in the place. This type of project is minimizing the costs of growing ecologically clean vegetables and fruits, making us competitive in the market. The production of the eco-food is happening in a special building, equipped in line with all the sanitary and production norms. Now, the social enterprise is producing two types of products: crisp bread “Solncekhleb” made of vegetables and grain, and a pastry cake “Desert”. The products are officially registered which allows to sell it in the shops and coffee shops.

Promoting the development of the pre-vocational education, teamwork, attaining the skills of self-sustaining – is one of the main stages of the rehabilitation and social adaptation of the children and youth in difficult life situations.

The children of the “Way Home” foundation actively take part in the work of the “Way Home” social enterprise. Children and youth who attain social services in the Fund are attaining important knowledges and skills here/ They are learning to grow plants, as well as producing different products from them. In addition, a bit of work on the fresh air is strengthening their health. In the warm time of the year, children from the Fund are regularly visiting a farm, where they can stay for a few days, learning agricultural field. They are also participating in making crisp breads and a desert. Together with the adults, they peel vegetables, mix the ingredients, and cook them, according to the recepie. Doing this, the children are getting many unique and valuable working and social skills, become more independent. Also working themselves, they can better understand the cost of work of the adults, surrounding them in life, and value it. Helping the work of the social enterprise – is not only a training for the working skills of the children. It is also a training to socialize, interact with the people they never knew before, get new contacts, as well as the skills of the healthy eating skills and the ecology of thinking, based on the respect, tolerance and non-violent approach to others, as well as the trust.

The “Way Home” social enterprise, which consists of the three components, is an optimal model for the gradual involvement of the children and youth in crisis into the various developing activities of the enterprise, allowing the children to become ready for the independent life.